More than half a million eligible women not registered as voters in Balochistan

More than half a million eligible women in Balochistan have not registered themselves as voters with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as they do not possess Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).

Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Jaffar said on Wednesday that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had no record of women belonging to far flung areas of Balochistan but measures are being taken to ensure maximum participation of women in the electoral process.

"The Election Commission selected various areas for registration of women voters," the Dawn quoted Jaffar, as saying.

"We have been receiving encouraging reports for the past six months in this regard and will make all efforts to fill the gender gap in Balochistan before the next elections," he added.

Jaffar assured that the NADRA will send mobile teams to remote areas of the province for issuing CNICs and other legal documents to women.

More than 3.7 million voters including 1.5 million women are presently registered with the Election Commission in Balochistan.